This invention relates to apparatuses for simplifying the installation of a pre-hung door unit, in particular to devices for holding the door closed during transportation and installation and to devices assisting in the transportation and manipulation of the door unit.
Pre-hung door units are commonly installed in door openings of newly constructed houses. Such openings may define passageways between adjacent rooms or may define passageways from the inside of a room to the outside thereof.
When a pre-hung door unit, comprised of a frame and a door hingedly connected to the frame, is transported or is in the process of being installed, care must be taken to ensure that the door does not undesirably swing open. One device for this purpose is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,195 to Ortega. This device employs a first tab member installed on the frame and a second, slotted member installed on the door in such a manner that the tab may be received in the slotted member when the door is closed. Typically, these components are installed in pre-defined areas designed for conventional door locks. A portion of the tab projects through the slot and is forcibly bent over the slotted member on an inside facing side of the door, to prevent the door from opening during transportation and installation. After the door unit is installed, the tab and slotted members are removed, from the inside facing side of the door, and locks are installed in the conventional manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,820 to Haendiges discloses another door installation device which appears to be a clip member which grips outside portions of a door and door frame associated with a pre-hung aluminum door. The clip is under tension to hold the door securely to the door frame.
Unfortunately, the Ortega device is installed on an inside facing side of the door and door frame and therefore to effectively install a pre-hung door employing this device would require two installers including one on the outside of the room to help position the unit from outside the room and one on the inside of the room to remove the installation devices after the door is installed. Naturally, this increases the cost of installation because two installers are required.
The Haendiges device is removable from the outside of the room but it requires co-operating surfaces on the door and frame which can be gripped by the device. Conventional wooden doors and door frames have flat surfaces and provide no such co-operating surfaces.
What is required therefore is a device which maintains a wooden or smooth surfaced door closed during transportation and installation but which can be removed from outside the room. This would eliminate the need for an installer on the inside of the room. In addition, preferably, the device leaves no visible marks on the door or on the frame.
Another problem with pre-hung doors is their size which makes it difficult for one installer to lift and manipulate the door unit into place. Typically, pre-hung door units have no conveniently located handles and therefore the installer can only grasp opposite sides of the frame which typically do not provide a good gripping surface. What is required therefore is a device which does provide a good gripping surface for an installer and which can easily be removed from the pre-hung door unit after the door is installed.
The present invention addresses the needs above.